Gore Verbinski’s BioShock. Edgar Wright’s Ant-Man. Colin Trevorrow’s Star Wars: Episode 9. Since studios discovered the financial potential of blockbuster adaptations of well-known IP, there’s been an ever-growing graveyard of directorial visions chewed up and spit out in favor of something else, usually something more palatable to a mass audience. Filmmakers stepping away or being removed from projects is nothing new, but with the benefit of the internet, curious fans now have access to the details of these projects in a way they’ve never had before — storyboards, screenplays, and even early footage can offer a glimpse at an alternate universe where the seeds of these artistic endeavors blossomed into fruit.
It’s incredibly rare for these projects to belatedly come to fruition, as indulging the whims of fans or burned directors would only raise questions about studio decision-making. But five years ago, one man defied the will of the system and turned back time itself (with the help of a fanbase dedicated to a fault), delivering a film whose very existence was so shrouded in rumor and secrecy that it became the stuff of legend: Zack Snyder’s Justice League.
